Early childhood
grade teachers and their principals, whom FOL has trained in developmentally appropriate teaching methodology since 1999, have formed a non-governmental organization (NGO) to train other teachers in what they have learned. They have held trainings in their home schools, but have now decided to teach more teachers in their Educational Districts.
Friends of Liberia’s ECE Project held a capacity building workshop in May to train the nascent teacher training organization, LEAP (Liberian Educators for Action and Peace), how to run itself as an NGO. FOL president Stephanie Vickers coordinated the training at the Peace Corps Training Facility in Kakata and invited 20 of the county leaders whom trained teachers have selected to represent their five counties: Nimba, Bong, Grand Bassa, Margibi and Montserrado. FOL took advantage of the many members who were in Liberia in May as part of an FOL trip.
Stephanie was joined in the training by Board Member Pat Reilly, who taught communications and fundraising, Board Member Peter Levitov, who reviewed with the group their governance, bylaws and mission statement, Steve Griffith, who taught them how to create a budget and manage their finances, and Ron Mertz, who emphasized the importance of evaluation and measurement of outcomes. Board Member Harmon Lisnow role played a donor as Liberian teachers made the case for funding their NGO.
Running support for the workshop were travelers Cornell Franz, Rob Urann, Kathy Garland and Chris Dickey, who stapled, sorted, hole punched and collated binders for each participant.
At the end of the two-week workshop, the teacher leaders selected a board and officers and held their first board meeting. They have written a proposal for county workshops that they will adapt to various funding sources. They plan to train 10 school teams in each of five counties in the first year.
Read about the teachers involved in LEAP.